During explains;
“Without identity there is no such thing as a socially situated individual” these identities are based on partial traits, gender, race and ethnicity carry a higher value and is what mostly places us in society. There is no individuality without identity, as individuality is the smaller yet important facets of an individual. As just being a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’ doesn’t characterize the person wholly and doesn’t identify them as an individual. Therefore individuality is important. However with examining both concepts I believe that the traditional sources of identity are in decline. For example the female way of being that was consistent before the liberation movement in the 70’s saw women as nuclear, without much choice in diverting from such an identity. It is what society deemed as acceptable and the identity they were molded into since birth. However since feminist theory has emerged and since the liberation this has diverted and it can be argued that such traditional views are in decline. Now women are not bound to domestic subservience. Germainne Greer argues that there is a female identity, and it is different to all females as each are different and in possession of their own individuality however she still argues that though feminists have been arguing for years that there is a self defining female energy and a “female libido that is not merely in response to demands of the male, and a female way of being and a female world, we are still not close to understanding what it might be.” This highlights that identity is complex and dynamic and it is difficult to narrow down what it may be in just simple terms of ones gender.
With this modern take on femininity a new identity has emerged that women are expected to continue with this image of femininity, as that is what casts them as female. Looks and aesthetic appeal have become more prominent and pressure has been placed on women to look a certain way in order to be deemed as ‘beautiful’. This is a different kind of identity that many seek however is inaccurate as the medias portrayal of such an identity, is often false and out of reach. So women are expected to conform to something in order to achieve something else, even though it is quite fictitious in a sense.
The following clip highlights how images of women in magazines give a false indication to what women look like through certain media and also how the identity of what is deemed to be ‘beautiful’ is actually one that is intensely and purposely crafted.
There are still forms of identity that are programmed into girls at a young age and place pressure onto the way in which they want their identity to be formulated and furthermore, how they want to be seen. Impacting greatly on their individuality. This other video highlights such pressure, and the dominance of such a female identity in the media.
‘Self-branding’ is another issue within identity. “Current inflections of self-branding are the product of an economy and culture in the West intent on constant innovation and flexibility,” Hearn argues. These are expressed to celebrate ‘the self’ as such. Facebook offers inventions of various self’s. It can become a definite sign of social identity. With facebook, what we upload to the site can cast or brand us as a particular type of person, even if inaccurate. An indication that this ‘self –branding’ is a product of Western innovation is that a new forum is created for social identity and how we can be seen.
Tags: Taylee Lewis
